The Fountain of Life
by Stefynae
Summary: Elizabeth follows Barbossa to find a way to live longer with Will, but the old sea captain may have other plans.
1. Chapter 1

Elizabeth looked on as her husband and his ship disappeared over the horizon. The chest she held against her breast was heavy, filled with a heart she was charged with keeping safe. The wind tossed her hair as she held the trunk to her ear. A soft and steady thump could be heard through the wood--the only token she had of her beloved Will.

Elizabeth sat on a nearby rock, hugging the chest and weeping softly. Ten years was an awfully long time. How could she ever wait that long and remain sane? She looked up into the blinding sun, wiping her cheeks. Down the shore, she could see the _Pearl _anchored. Waiting. As she was.

Where would she go, now that her father was dead and her husband was gone? The sudden depression that fell upon her compelled her to go back to her native England to weep the next ten years away. She saw herself as a widow, no longer a blushing bride. She cursed Davy Jones and his murderous tendencies. Though one could hardly blame a man who had torn his own heart out because of a woman. How ironic it seemed that Will had his torn out to save the woman he loved.

Elizabeth smiled to herself, remembering Will's touch. A shiver ran down her back. How gentle he had been. Every kiss, every caress...

She was awakened from her memory as the sound of crunching sand drifted to her ears. Two men walked toward her: one, very proud and wise; the other, a little clumsy. Elizabeth could see Barbossa's eyes roll from where she sat. Jack seemed to be in the midst of concocting their next great adventure; his arms waved madly around him as he tripped and spun in the deep sand.

Their next great adventure. What would Elizabeth's be? Back to England? Back to the sea? Always looking toward the horizon, always waiting? There must be something. Some loop hole. Something she had missed.

"Your chariot awaits, milady." Jack bowed as both men came to rest in front of her. Barbossa sighed. Elizabeth stared at them, searching for answers.

"What am I to do now?" she asked. "The battle has been won, I've lost my husband--"

"Not all of him," Jack interrupted, knocking on the chest. Elizabeth tore it away from his curious grasp. Jack recoiled, taken aback. "I were only foolin', luv."

Barbossa shifted, putting himself between Elizabeth and Jack. "We best be leaving 'fore the tide comes in, Mrs. Turner." Elizabeth looked curiously at the captain, not yet fully grasping her new name. "Lest we lose a day's sail."

"And where is it we're sailing to, Captain?" Elizabeth asked. Jack looked hurt that she had addressed Barbossa as head of _his_ ship. The taller man hesitated, then unrolled the charts they had used to find the end of the world. Barbossa laid them out next to Elizabeth, turning the circles until their previous route could no longer be deciphered. Elizabeth leaned in, watching until the circles matched up once again. She tilted her head, confused at what she saw.

"_Aqua de Vida_," Barbossa answered. "The Fountain of Life." He smiled his wicked grin as Elizabeth's eyes widened.

"You can't be serious," she said. Jack and Barbossa both looked up, one confused and the other annoyed.

"Why not?" asked Jack, sticking his chin out and up. Elizabeth stood, tucking the chest under one arm.

"Because even with charts, the place is enchanted." She waited. "No one can get in or out. No one has ever proved it's existence!"

"Since when have you become a skeptic, Missy?" Barbossa asked, crossing his arms. "You, who have fought sea monsters and spent time in the company of undead pirates?" Elizabeth's mouth hung open. It was true; she had seen plenty of things most children only read about at bedtime. She thought for a moment while both men waited.

The Fountain of Life.

Ten years.

"I'm in."


	2. Chapter 2

Elizabeth stood next to Jack at the helm, staring blankly at the port before them. The shadows cast upon the island reminded her of a constant nightmare she'd had as a child. One where she couldn't escape an island of the dead. Elizabeth shivered as they drew toward Port Royale. It had seemed so long since this had been her home. Since she had read her father's books, learning about the great minds of the past. Since she had worn those dreadful dresses meant for her to look stunning. Since she had avoided encounters with Norrington and snuck into sword lessons with Will.

James. Her heart was heavy thinking of him. He did not deserve the fate that befell him. Elizabeth often wondered what would have happened if she had chosen him instead of Will. Wondered if she would still be living a boring and unfulfilling life of luxury, but knowing that Norrington would still be alive.

Her mind traveled further ahead, to wonder where she would be had Jack not saved her on that fateful day she fell into the ocean. Jack came into her life and everything changed. She went from a governor's daughter to an orphaned pirate. Her feelings toward Sparrow varied, depending on what memories flooded her mind and what the notorious captain was up to at the moment. Currently, he sneezed beside her. She coiled back away from him, avoiding the spray.

"Wouldn't Tortuga have been the safer choice, Jack?" she asked. The captain wiped his nose on his jacket sleeve.

"Too far," he replied. He turned course with such ease and grace. Elizabeth watched his hands take control of the ship's destiny. She remembered those hands on her face, his mouth on her lips. "Besides," he continued, distracting her, "with Beckett dead and all manner of order hitherto suspended, we pirates have got exactly what we've always wanted." His dark stare penetrated Elizabeth's eyes. His eyes were darker and more mysterious than Will's. She often found herself lost in those orbs, knowing that they held so much in their depths. Elizabeth shook herself from his gaze and looked out over the waters, her hand lingering on the chest beside her.

"Freedom," she said.

Port Royale was dismal. The pirate lords had all been there on their way back to open waters, re-supplying and stealing anything they could get their hands on. Everything that wasn't of value was strewed along the streets. Broken windows dotted the shops, their cupboards all but bare. Elizabeth picked up a doll by the docks. The figure's face distorted, one eye missing. The yarn that made her lips hung loosely from the doll, forming a frown and what looked like a trail of blood. She laid the toy on a windowsill, imaging the young girl who belonged to it.

Finding what they needed took more time than usual. Pirates scattered as they hit town and Elizabeth took the opportunity to visit her old home.

The house was in shambles, even worse than when she had been dragged out of it by Pintel and Ragetti. She walked through the front door, stepped over scraps of curtains and linen, broken glass and mice droppings. Her hand flew to her mouth as she came across the butler, his corpse stinking on the foyer floor. How terrible that the carcas hadn't been moved after he was shot. His body was nowhere near recognizable, having been devoured by any and all carnivorous creatures. Elizabeth stepped away and made her way toward the stairs.

She traced her hand across the wall as she walked up the staircase, carefully avoiding broken steps. Upstairs, furniture had been tossed and broken, gathering dust where they lay. She passed the room in which she had been found. The closet where she hid from the pirates that were soon to become her comrades.

Elizabeth turned and could see the sun setting through her bedroom window at the end of the hall. Inside were torn books and clothes, fallen candles and drawers strewn over the floor. Only one drawer remained in its place, hanging on as if by magic. She went to her night stand and pushed the drawer back into its track. Inside was the place she had kept the gold necklace--the one she had stolen from Will, the one that had started the path she was now on. She traced the dust with her finger, her mind once again remembering all that had taken place since the day she was taken from this house.

"Must be quite a shock to yeh."

Elizabeth jumped and spun around to find Barbossa leaning against the doorway. He held up an apple and took a bite of it, his crisp blue eyes shining in the dim light.

"Must be quite a joy to taste the fruit you've so longed for," she answered. She left the drawer and her old life and strode toward Barbossa. He chuckled and pulled another apple out of his coat pocket, offering it to Elizabeth. She smiled wryly at him, taking the fruit. She bit down, not daring to look away from the captain's icy blue stare. Sweet juices flooded her mouth while Barbossa's smirk grew upon his face.

"Delicious," she said, swallowing a bite.

"Indeed." His eyes roamed over her as she walked out of the room.

Barbossa plucked a sconce from the wall, weighing it in his hands as they descended the stairs. When he decided it was no good, he tossed it over the banister. Elizabeth jumped at the noise, stumbling on the steps. Barbossa reached out for her, grabbing her arm to steady her.

"My apologies, Mrs. Turner," he said. Elizabeth glared at him as he pulled her closer. "I dare not injure young William's bride when I am sworn to protect her."

"You're hurting my arm," she replied. Barbossa let go, allowing Elizabeth to reach the last step and head out the door. The captain watched her closely, stepping over the poor butler and kicking a rat out of his way. Her temper excited him, and he was always eager for a fiery spirit, no matter if he married her off to another man.

Elizabeth walked slowly back to the Pearl, letting the island fill her senses one last time. It was dark where they were, walking a path overgrown with gnarled branches and underbrush. Her fingers tapped against her hip, always ready to draw her sword. She wondered in the back of her mind what Barbossa might do to her in the dark, while they were alone. But he wasn't even looking at her as they made their way back. He limped next to her, finishing his apple. She thought she heard him humming.

"Why is it that you seek the Fountain of Life?" she asked suddenly. Barbossa stopped in his tracks and raised his brow. He thought for a minute.

"I've already had me fill of death," he replied. His tone was light-hearted, but his connotation couldn't have been more serious. "And yerself," he asked, "why is it that such a young creature as yerself be seeking what only the selfish and old yearn for?" His eyes glittered in the moonlight. Elizabeth was reminded of her first night with him, when he stepped into the moonlight and turned into the undead. How he spoke of all that he had lost and all that he regretted.

"I wish to spend my life with Will," she said. "And if that means extending my life to match his own then I will find a way to do so."

Barbossa nodded, accepting her answer. They started again, walking slowly. No matter how much she still didn't trust him, she was glad for his company. His presence reassured her that she was not alone on this broken island.

The sun dipped below the horizon as they made their way up to the Pearl, and all light that reflected off Port Royal was lost. Barbossa tossed his core over the railing and took his place at the helm.

The crew returned in groups, empty handed. It seemed that the island had been stripped clean. Grumbles and curses swam over the sea of dirty faces on deck. Elizabeth scanned the crowd for Jack, who pushed his way through and up to where she and Barbossa stood.

"Well?" asked Barbossa. Jack fumbled for a moment, trying to begin.

"It seems we've run into a bit of a snag," he said. Elizabeth could see the anger flush Barbossa's cheeks.

"So nothing then?" Elisabeth said. Anger boiled inside her as well. She prodded a finger into Jack's chest. "You brought us to this god-forsaken place which you knew would be stripped clean--"

"I didn't know for sure, love," he interrupted. He held up his hand to silence her. There was a long pause as Elizabeth, Barbossa and the whole crew waited for Jack to speak. He slowly turned toward his men. "My apologies, gentlemen. It seems I was mistaken." More unrest broke out among the men. All were tired, hungry and now angry. Jack turned toward Elizabeth as she spoke, the jewels in his hair hitting against each other like chimes.

"Well now what?" she asked. Jack smiled, clasping his hands in front of his face. Barbossa rolled his eyes and looked down at Sparrow.

"Tortuga?" asked Pintel from the steps. Jack nodded, winking at Elizabeth.

"Tortuga."


End file.
